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Monday, June 14, 2010

CSM Tactics: Lashblits = Failure, Finding the New CSM Equation

Alright, so lets get it out of our systems before we begin - "wah, Gav ruined our codex, wah" alright, now that we all have that out of the way, lets take a look at the CSM math equation trumpeted all over the web and in the forums - Lash + Plague Marines + Oblits = List. The answer has changed to Fail, which means that the equation must be changed to get back to List in order to equal Win. So let's start taking a look at where this dead horse went wrong.

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Before we go any further, I just want to give credit to one of our oldest followers and a person who's blog is still a source of inspiration to me every week, Master Darksol of All Things 40k, for the awesome photo I have used for this article, check his Black Legion out, they are the best BL on the Web!

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Alright, so now lets all put on our CSI hats and look at Lashblitz for what it is. It is a good mechanic for popping vehicles and then rounding up units for plasma spam. Then later, pushing away assaults and pushing units off objectives for the win. This worked great at the end of 4th edition and worked really well in most areas when 5th was still new - I even won a tourney and placed high in others with the list, but with the introduction of Guard, we could start to see the gap in capabilities. Then Space Wolves and then Blood Angels and even Nids came along to show us that the new watchword in 40k was VERSITILITY, something our Lashblitz list lack, the codex isn't great at and many Chaos players just have a hard time getting a hold of.

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Why you ask? Well, lash princes or even sorcs are likely not going to get a first turn Lash in due to either distance or due to everyone being mech'ed up or in reserves. Same can be said about the meltas, which leads us to the oblitz. I know they are capable of awesome firepower and are very versitile in their weaponry - I get it - but with this build, we only really engage three targets a turn and the vehicle chart can still screw us over on the first turn pens - they do it to me all the time. This means we will not be de-meching anyone anytime soon and the whole mechanic of this played out list goes down the toilet.

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So where do we go from here? Do we paint out Slaaneshi Daemon Prince Green and call him a Nurgle DP? I wouldn't, but it could be fun. Do we ditch the Oblitz and the Plaguers? Heavens no, but we do need to find ways of making our lists versitile and increase our chances to suprise people who are expecting the same old Chaos list.

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I have been playing around with different styles on the board, but I was as hard to change as the next 10,000 year old evil-doer, so I looked around the net. First I found this at YTTH. I like it. It uses Zerks who I love and Dreads which always suprise people when I run them and they don't shoot it because they think it is worthless - until it kills their tanks! It also adds the ability to play games with the Termies and the Zerks switching vehicles and deepstriking and running an empty rhino, which can screw with the opponent and spices up your options for what you can do based on what is across the board from you. Like I said, I like it, but it still isn't as hard and fast or flexible as the 5th edition book lists out there.

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Then I went to Adepticon and saw Bushido's army (click the damn link), now the one linked I don't think was the exact one at Adepticon due to the points difference in the tournies, but it is inspiring none the less. At first glance, you say "What the hell is this random pile of Chaos Codex crap?" Then you look closer - You have a crazy assault spearhead: Abbadon + Warptime Nurgle Prince + Greater Daemon and some Zerks if necessary. I have fielded a variation of this list (because Black Legion was my first CSM army and Abbadon has lived in three variations in my armies in the past) with exactly those elements and it rapes anything the best assault armies in the game can put up (without all the crowding that happens when you try Trygon/ Stealer spam with nids). Add to this the fact that the zerks can choose to ride in their rhino or leave it empty to block LOS to the daemons or to be a sacrificial lamb OR they can ride in it and let Abby ride by himself in the Raider for a dual threat - Or Abby can DS in AND so can the Prince if need be and of course the Greater Daemon comes into the equation through any of the three champs on the board!

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Now add to the mix the fact that you have 6 troop choices. I am not wild about them (I am still having a problem with dropping my second Plague Marine squad, but it is hard to deal with 6 troop choices when you have so much harsh assaulty stuff on the board. Let's not forget that the oblitz make it in ther and much like Abby, they benefit from the icons in play and can be directed inot places where they can blow up tanks AND then provide assault support - or they can also hang back with the raider if it chooses not to move and lay down the traditional fire-support role.

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Finally, I like the raptors and have plans to play them a little more just because they add another DS unit that can punch in or can zoom up.

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Alright, so you get the idea, Stelek's list adds versitility in true Stelek style, more tanks and more long range firepower. I like it and plan to test it some more and make a few tweeks, but I really do like it. Then there is the Bushido, superflexi, assault punch army and there are surely roads in between. I have had great success running Abby and the assault spear. The best part in both of these armies is that they are fun to run and refreshing to play.

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The spikey finger now points toward you. What are you running into against Chaos or waht CSM list are you running? Do you think Lashblitz are awesome and I am smoking ballhair? Got links to a good forum post, army list, anything to show the direction you have taken the army? Let's hear it - I know you heretics are not dead and you (like me) are still kicking Loyalist ass out there somewhere!

I think CSM are very viable but you really have to think about, like you said, versatility. It is the name of the game in 5th edition. Take a look at Blood Angels. People were, and still are struggling with them due to the fact that they thought they could run just one unit mainly and win, when that is not how the game is played anymore. Take a look at some of my guard lists, though they sometimes share a heavy load towards tanks or infantry, the ones that are more successful balance the two and make sure to take a good healthy contingent of all slots, from elite to heavy.

My chaos marine army is all slaanesh all the time and I can honestly say I have never used lash of submission. Mainly because I don't use demon princes. I use a sorc but I never give him lash.I go for warp time and winds of chaos personally.

The reason I hate imperial guard is due to the fact that they are balanced. the suffer from extreme balance and points costs which are low enough to field a balanced army that fills the slots. That's not to say they are the best army ever they have their weaknesses and in the wrong hands they face palm fail in battle.they require dedication thats for sure.

I go for a rather chaotic list. Dreadnoughts, Enhanced Warriors, and Spawn. Not all that competitive but its fun. I also like to round it out with Close Combat Defilers.

I think when it comes to Chaos there are some similarities to Eldar in the sense that we get to choose from a number of elite troop choices that are all independently strong and specialized but where synergy is a stronger deciding factor than with other MEQ armies.

Without many FA choices any sort of mobile or fast game depends heavily on tranports and deep strikers.

For something different than the norm, I think a Thousand Son and Noise Marine shooty army could do decently well, bringing the high volume and dangerous firepower to the field in a mobile way.

Typhus, three terminators, two plaguemarine squads, melta/flamer, icon, champ powerfist in rhinos, one plaguemarine squad, two plasma guns, icon, champ powerfist on foot, three summoned daemon packs and three possessed vindicators one with pintle combi-melta. 1850 pts. I played it as an "in your face" all out attacking force and had good results with it. I never played it in tourneys and this was before the leafblower craze